What's a Democrat to Do Now?

What’s a Democrat to Do Now?

You know, it’s kind of a weird feeling being on the winning side for once. Strangely, it’s not quite as satisfying as I’d hoped. That probably has much to due with the nature of the Democratic Party’s victory.

I’m sorry, but I feel we Democrats got lucky on November 7. Our not-so-loyal opposition, the Republicans, squandered their re-election chances on Bush’s ill-fated Iraq War, plus a long string of ethical and moral lapses by sitting congressmen. The Democratic Party leadership, meanwhile, offered too little in the way of a well-reasoned, coherent policy platform. To a great extent, the Democratic Party leadership mostly defined itself as “not the Republicans,” with vague promises to do things differently.

Well, it’s our time of reckoning. The electorate on November 7 spoke with a loud, clear voice: it’s time for a new direction in America, and at least for the time being partisan bickering and gridlock will not be tolerated.

So far, we Democrats have been smart to avoid gloating over our big win. Our leadership, in fact, has proven especially gracious in victory, reaching out to Republicans in Congress with promises of cooperation and compromise. That is likely for the best. As I posited above, the electorate seems a bit tired of partisan rancor and do-nothingness.

The big question yet to be answered, in my opinion, concerns whether the party will be able to act successfully on the other half of the November 7 message: that it’s time to put America on a new track. Can the party devise a set of policies for America that will present voters with a clear choice, or will we continue to limp along as the vaguely “non-Republican alternative?” Can the Democrats lead by example, setting achievable goals, targeting bread-and-butter issues such as the minimum wage, and working towards bi-partisan solutions, or will we squander the electorate’s goodwill by attempting more of the sort of same-old, same-old hyper-partisanship that so alienated voters in the first place?

As a party we have two short years to define ourselves and achieve something positive. Otherwise, we risk losing Congress to the Republicans once again. Imagine what a profound message we could send by putting the nation’s interests above personal interests! One need only read a recent post on this very blog for an idea -- an eminently doable idea concerning energy independence -- on where to begin!

Peace!
Historian